THE ARCANE ARCHIVE

Pentagrams and Hexagrams

To: alt.magick
From: paulhume@lan2wan.com (Paul Hume)
Subject: Re: Pentagrams and Hexagrams
Date: 21 Nov 2001 20:34:01 -0800
> The most common and Basic way To do the LBRP is to draw the Pentagrams In
> Blue.
Adopted because that was the image popular at the time (via Theosophy,
I think?) for the concept of protection.
> Now..
> we must remember that there are acctually 8 Lesser Pentagram Rituals.
> Invoking for Earth, air, water, fire and Banishing for Earth, air, water ,
> fire.
Not in general practice. The Lesser Pentagram Ritual always uses the
Pentagram of Earth, since it is dealing with influences on, or
bordering on, this plane. Once you get into using the Elemental
Pentagrams per se, you are in Greater Pentagram territory. The Names
change too, for the same reason.
> Should all the pentagrams be in Blue?
> For example... If I wish to preform The Lesser Invoking Ritual of the
> Pentagram of Air should I draw the invoking Air Pentagram in Blue? Or should
> it be in yellow?
Yellow for Greater and up (Supreme, etc.). Not relevant for Lesser as
designed.
> Next the Hexagrams...
> The same question about colors.
> In the All the Lesser Hex version should Gold be used?
> In the Greater Versions The Flashing color method?
Lesser Hexagram Ritual, oddly, can use different planetary Hexagrams,
even in the four forms. I was taught gold with sigil in color.
> Last question.
> In Lesser Hexagram Ritual there are four different Hexagram forms That
> change the position of the Triangles.
> But in The greater Versions These seem to have been dropped and Only the
> ussual Hexagram is used.
The four forms are used to synthesize the planetary/zodaical
influences of the Macrocosm with the Elemental influences of the
Microcosm. Thus the Fire Hexagram is in the form of the Fire Wand, the
Water Hex. of the Cup, the Air Hex. of the Dagger, and the Earth Hex.
the Pentacle.
The four forms are thus not appropriate when moving into the "pure
planetary" realm of the Greater Hexagram rituals. If there was a
particular Elemental charge mixed into a specific ceremony, then I
suppose the four-form Hexagram could be used, but the usual practice
appears to be using the LRH in such circumstances, again synthesizing
the Macro and Microcosms.
In the last analysis, unless working in a specific organization,
you'll be the final arbiter of which variations to employ (so always
steal the best (g)).
Paul
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From: bheidrick@aol.com (B Heidrick)
Newsgroups: alt.magick
Date: 24 Nov 2001 11:48:58 GMT
References:
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Subject: Re: Pentagrams and Hexagrams
Message-ID: <20011124064858.10783.00002673@mb-mq.aol.com>
Xref: typhoon.sonic.net alt.magick:277078
93 Satyr,
(I'm not sure who typed what in this sequence, so apologies if it wasn't by
you)
>>> Not in general practice. The Lesser Pentagram Ritual always uses the
>>> Pentagram of Earth, since it is dealing with influences on, or
>>> bordering on, this plane. Once you get into using the Elemental
>>> Pentagrams per se, you are in Greater Pentagram territory.
Nope, not that simple. The Greater Pentagram Ritual uses different elemental
pentagrams for different directions, as well as other names, etc.. The Lesser
Pentagram Ritual can use any of the 24 pentagrams, but uses one of them for all
four directions.
N.B. Here's a link to the tracing directions of the 24 pentagrams available:
http://www.cityol.com/heidrick/tlc1988/tlc0588.htm#fob
Here's some additional discussion of the ritual:
http://www.cityol.com/heidrick/tlc1987/tlc0887.htm#fob
93 93/93
Bill Heidrick
heidrick@well.com
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From: bheidrick@aol.com (B Heidrick)
Newsgroups: alt.magick
Date: 25 Nov 2001 12:07:17 GMT
References:
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Subject: Re: Pentagrams and Hexagrams
Message-ID: <20011125070717.04359.00002551@mb-fc.aol.com>
Xref: typhoon.sonic.net alt.magick:277167
93 Chris,
>I dont really understand why
>they bothered to make two sets of spirit pentagrams.
One balances fire and air. One balances water and earth -- like a cruse
control plus a climate control. the Actives move and the passives set the
stable condition of the place. Consider it "optional equipment" for most
situations.
>Spirit should be a unified divine force. With two sets it makes it harder to
>invoke spirit, as they ussually have to be used with an element.
The G.'.D.'. system, which predates Aurum Solis, is compound and biased toward
pushing the student. Thus, the pentagram rituals lead toward the hexagram
rituals when you get far enough into multiple uses. You formulate pure spirit
in the hexagram within the center of the pentagram ritual, but more work with
spirit requires a change in method from manipulating the elements either
singularly or in similar pairs. That's where the Greater Pentagram ritual
comes in. When the GPR becomes cumbersome, the hexagrams take over. ... and
so it goes.
>The LBRP is ussually used with Earth pentagrams due to the fact that the
>Golden dawn believed that Earth was a "container" for the other elements.
That is traditional, although perhaps more from the standpoint of Qabalah than
classical ceremonial. I'd say there's a better reason. Earth banishment is
easiest to learn. In simple terms, to banish earth is to forget externals.
Everybody can do that to some extent. Thus, start with earth banishment and
start with something you already know and do. Type on the pattern of the
pentagram and develop skill in the ritual. Then, after all that "sets",
explore the other elements, invoking and the relations between similar
elements. Once that is set, you are ready for the planets and the hexagrams.
Just jumping in with all possibilities at once muddles. Start simple and learn
distinctions as you elaborate.
>Wouldnt spirit be a more appropriate force to use since it contains all the
>elements together in perfect balance?
Yes, but that's not possible in anything but the most trival ways until you
learn the nature of the elements. The Lesser Pentagram ritual is a machine for
learning basic ritual and exploring the elements as they relate to your mind
and subtle abilities. It is more than that, but that's the initial purpose.
If you just slammed a spirit force on it, you would be relegating yourself to a
passive role, akin to asking God to do this for you. By starting with the
material and working up through the subtle, you gain the skill and controls for
yourself.
93 93/93
Bill Heidrick
heidrick@well.com
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From: bheidrick@aol.com (B Heidrick)
Newsgroups: alt.magick
Date: 26 Nov 2001 12:28:27 GMT
References:
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Subject: Re: Pentagrams and Hexagrams
Message-ID: <20011126072827.13651.00002426@mb-dh.aol.com>
Xref: typhoon.sonic.net alt.magick:277273
93 Chris,
>Still it always struck me as a little odd in the first place since there
>method in tracing everything else is to start from a point and trace either
>clockwise or counter clockwise, but in the pentagrams they adopted a new
>method. This was intentional?
I'd say it's partly the nature of a unicursal pentagram, which involves
crossovers in the tracing. You can consistently start at any point and make a
clockwise or counterclockwise trace, but doing that always crosses below other
points. The G.'.D.'. instead opted to use approach to or departure from the
elemental point to do invocation or banishment, at least for the four elements.
It's simpler, in the sense that it's go to or go from as a symbolic action. I
suppose there is a notion that the elements are more primal than planets and
zodiac, hence not as dependent on the motion of the sun in Western hemisphere
than the latter two sets. In placement within ritual, like the LPR, other
conditions apply. Thus the allocation of the elements is based on solar
related things and even the banishment uses clockwise motion to invoke the
force necessary to do the banishment. These pentagram and hexagram rituals of
the G.'.D.'. are all a bit skewed, opening a "door of defect" in a sense -- not
unlike the case of Faust who drew an incomplete pentagram over his door and
thereby trapped a devil rather than kept the devil out. Mephistopheles
entered, not having been barred by a completed pentagram. When he turned and
saw the figure, he completed it in his mind, thus trapping himself -- at least
that's the story in the play, as told by the devil to Faust. By having these
stress-imbalances in the rituals, the G.'.D.'. forces the novice (not neophyte)
to interact with the rituals in order to function. That's progressed
initiation, after a fashion.
>Will all the elements have the same banishment effect?
No. They have "octaves" (different effects on different "planes") and are
distinct in their own nature. Also, it makes a difference whether the
pentagram is upright or inverted.
>nature
>would also change some of their effects in a way.
>
Yes, as to what is banished and what happens as a result of such a banishment.
93 93/93
Bill Heidrick
heidrick@well.com

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